


and makes them kind

by savingsiriusblack



Series: Black Boys [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Drama, Family Feels, Forgiveness, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, James Potter Lives, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Sirius Black Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 02:51:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21190349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savingsiriusblack/pseuds/savingsiriusblack
Summary: Sirius puts his foot down after Alphard gets injured during a visit to Grimmauld Place.Part of an AU, in which Sirius raises Regulus' son, Alphard.





	and makes them kind

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 'Sun' by Sleeping at Last.

The moment Lily tapes the last bandage to Al’s arm, Sirius is out of the door. He can hear small foot-steps rushing after him. It hardly matters. This ends today.

Sirius enters the kitchen and tries to ignore his shaking hands as he scrapes through their cabinets. _Where did I put the floo powder? _

“Dad, wait! Where are you going?”

“Just popping over to Grimmauld place for a chat. Don’t worry, love. I’ll be back. Real soon.” Sirius wonders how he keeps his voice calm when every cell in his body feels like they're about to explode.

When he finally finds the powder, he swipes past his son and into the living room. The Potters are there, as always. The three don't look even slightly uncomfortable to be witnessing their spat, just worried.

A small fist grabs hold of the back of his jacket. Sirius does not turn around. He can’t look into Alphard’s eyes. The moment he does, he’ll give into whatever the boy wants. He could not be soft today, not when Al had come home with deep black marks seared into skin.

“It was an accident! I never should have picked up that dumb book. Grandad told me to stay out of the library, but_ I_ didn’t listen!” the boy screams, obviously choking back tears. “It wasn’t his fault!”

_It never is_, Sirius thinks wryly, remembering all the pain he endured at the hands of his mother while his father had been off making business deals and having affairs. _But he’s different now_, a small voice whispers in his head. Sirius bats it away like a fly.

“Padfoot, let’s take a minute-”

“No, James. No way!” His composure finally breaks as he turns to face his best mate. The man is gripping Harry’s shoulders. His godson looks almost as distressed as Alphard sounds. _They’ve always had such a strong connection._ “He should have been watching him!”

“I’m not a baby. I’m nearly fourteen, and he can barely walk!” Al shouts, shaking his arm. Sirius looks down at him then. He regrets it, immediately. Alphard’s face - so much like Regulus’, so much like Sirius’ own - is flushed in anger.

“Listen to me, Al. Listen to me!” He kneels in front of the boy, gripping his shoulders. “You can not grow up thinking that _this_ is okay.” He gestures to the boy’s bandaged arm. Just the sight of it made his stomach turn. “I know you love your grandfather, but what if something worse had happened to you, huh? Something Aunt Lily couldn’t fix? What would I do without you?”

Al does start crying then. Harry comes up behind his best friend, rubbing circles across his back. Sirius gets into the floo knowing that his son is in good hands.

The main fireplace of his ancestral home is dusty as per usual. He stumbles over an ottoman on the way out. Kreacher really was useless. _This whole house is a health and safety risk._

Sirius is surprised to find his father sitting in the living room. His shoulders are tense, like he had been waiting for Sirius to storm over.

“Will he be okay?” the man asks without greeting. His breath comes out in short rasps, much weaker than the last time Sirius had seen him.

The question breaks open something inside Sirius, but instead of exploding onto his father, the anger drains from his body like from a tap.

He nods gravely and sits down on the chaise across from the old man. He covers his face with his hands and sighs. _How did I get here?_ Sirius thinks, bemused.

Only a year ago he would have raged at the idea of stepping foot inside this house. That was before Orion had reached out to his eldest son, rather incessantly.

The man sent nearly twenty letters, explaining that he had sought treatment for his potion addiction and apologizing for his part in Sirius’ messed up childhood. Sirius had let him hang in the balance for a few weeks, but eventually gave in to the man’s requests to meet in person.

It was only then that he had learned of Orion’s declining health, and subsequently gave him permission to pursue a relationship with his only grandchild.

What could he say? Fatherhood had turned the violent, self-indulgent teen into a forgiving, push over of an adult. It was unbelievable. Regulus certainly would not have, if he were still around.

“Dad,” Sirius tries to begin, but Orion cuts him off.

“It was my fault, Sirius. I’m so sorry. You have to know-”

Sirius holds a hand up to stop the man’s apology. ‘I’m sorry’ was Orion’s favourite phrase these days. It would be insufferable if the man wasn’t so obviously sincere.

“Dad, I tried to be okay with him coming here. I swear to Merlin, I tried,” Sirius says, gently. His father’s face falls. He’s staring at his hands. “I know you weren’t even here most of the time, but I can’t forget the things that happened to me in this house.” The old man’s breath hitches. Sirius ploughs on, “So, you have to understand what it does to me when he comes home, with bruises all up his arm.”

“I do,” Orion breathes out. “I promise, I do.”

“I can’t allow him to visit this place, anymore.”

“Of course.”

“And since you’re all but bedridden…”

“I understand.”

“The only reasonable solution is for-”

“- me to stop seeing him-”

“-you to move in with us.”

Sirius thinks it must hurt the old man’s neck to snap his head up so quickly. His father blinks at him, mouth agape. Sirius wants to laugh but thinks it would be too mean.

“It will be an adjustment, for everyone. Still, we have a spare room. Al will be stoked, so that makes up for any moving pains. You don’t have to decide just yet - ”

“Yes,” Orion rushes out. He’s trying not to smile. His grey curls are falling into his eyes. This time, Sirius does laugh.

“Don’t be hasty, old man. I’m not the easiest bloke to share a space with. Ask any of my exes, orJames and Remus. More than, our lifestyle is far from what you’re used to. Kreacher won’t be around to wait on you. Sometimes we eat Chinese takeout, _while sitting on the floor!_” Sirius shudders in mock horror.

Surprisingly, his father perks up. “I’ve been to China. Beijing, actually.”

“Really?” Sirius smiles, and receives one in turn.

“Yes. I studied Mandarin for a whole summer when I was fourteen, and I _loved_ the food.”

“Well, takeout will be nothing like that.” Sirius rolls his eyes, fondly. “But, I think we could make it work.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love dadfoot! Thanks for reading!


End file.
